As I tearfully prepared my Tundra Focus to return to the Ford dealership, its lease imminently running out, I found a mixt CD I'd made almost three years ago. In honour of my car, I will forgo my usual big blog today for twenty-two small ones about each track!

Have you ever wanted to sing in a barbershop quartet? Well, here's your chance. Every Monday, the Motor City Metro Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society invites all male singers to join the weekly rehearsals of this local barbershop harmony chorus. It's all happening at Oz's Music Environment, 1920 Packard. Free to visitors ($130 annual dues for those who join). 474-1155. Contrary to popular knowledge,barbershop harmonies originated with African-American men who formed these pick-up quartets, sometimes in front of barbershops or at other local gathering spots.

Fans of French indie-pop artist Pauline Croze won't want to miss her brand new release, Un Bruit Qui Cour, and if you haven't yet, make sure and check out her self-titled debut album, Pauline Croze. Here's a clip of her performing live.

The 31st Ann Arbor Folk Festival takes place at Hill Auditorium on Friday, January 25, and Saturday, January 26. Each night features a different line-up of artists starting at 6:30pm. Ben Folds Five, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin are among the long list of artists performing. All proceeds raised through the festival will benefit Ann Arbor’s The Ark. See The Ark’s website for more details on tickets and performers.

Take a walk down memory lane….or get a glimpse of some amazing footage of the young Bob Dylan as a guest on the Johnny Cash TV Show. The show aired from 1969-1971. There’s an hour and a half of Cash singing with June as well as guest appearances of Neil Young, Ray Charles, Joni Mitchell, and Roy Orbison to name a few. Particularly touching was Cash’s launch of Man in Black as the lyrics are still significant. I can’t think of an artist today who can rally fans from such a wide range of genres, can you?

Ring in the new year with Oricon! They've just released their complete list of the 100 top selling albums of 2007 in Japan. Check out the top 20, most of which AADL owns, and if you see something else on the full list that we should carry, just let us know, below.

In my many travels I saw a The Byrds compilation titled Byrds Play Dylan. I laughed, pointed it out the chap next to me and said, “Is this an alternate title for Mr. Tambourine Man?” The man walked away. See, The Byrds’ twelve-track debut featured no less than four Dylan covers, including the title track. The stranger I said that to probably didn’t know that, and that’s why he walked away. I’m guessing. Of course, Dylan covers don't stop at The Byrds.

Zooglobble is the blog brainchild of Stefan Shepherd, children's music enthusiast--"Kids and family music news and reviews - Kids music worth sharing." It contains reviews of new releases in the children's music industry, help selecting age-appropriate music for your child, information about trends in children's music, and blog entries about specific musicians.

Mr. Shepherd can be heard occasionally on NPR's All Things Considered, and he is a regular contributor to Wired magazine.

If you are looking for your next family foot-tappin', hand-clappin' selection, check out Zooglobble!

If you asked me six years ago if I liked Bob Seger, I’d’ve said, “I don’t know who that is.” If you asked me four years ago if I liked Bob Seger I’d’ve say, “Yeah, he’s okay. I got Stranger In Town for fifty cents; it was worth it.” If you asked me right now if I liked Bob Seger, I’d say, “Are you kidding? Every disc jockey in Detroit spends their days fawning over him, his “musical influence,” and playing ev'ry cut off of Live Bullet! Just because he’s from Michigan, I have to love him? No, thank you.” Then I’d probably find a cardboard cutout of Bob Seger, just so I could punch it in the face. I routinely bring three wherever I go. You got to have backups.

The Police had the highest grossing tour of ’07. In a (distant) second: Phil-Collins-Genesis. How did these guys manage to have successful tours while a lot of their contemporaries are relegated to running the nostalgia circuit? The successful tours have always had the buzz surrounding them. It could be a band long-thought irreconcilable reforms. Cream made it back together? How cool is that? Others simply have legend status, like when Paul McCartney dusts off the old Höfner and hits the road.

Whether you are looking to learn about the world for a school report or just for yourself, CultureGrams is the place for you. With over 200 country reports you can learn the history and culture of many of the world’s peoples. More than just articles, CultureGrams also has photos, videos, audio recordings, and recipes. Take a look and discover your world today.

Get your money out of that mattress and get it working for you with the help of Value Line! Value Line has extensive financial and statistical data from independent analysts as well as the Value Line Investment Survey, featuring advice on approximately 1,700 stocks in 97 industries. You can also look through recent news and analysis, educational tools, and information on building an investment portfolio.